Wild pummeled by Jets, 6-2, for third loss in a row

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 15, 2026

Published in Hockey

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild are in their first rut in ages after suffering one of their worst losses of the season.

They were waxed, 6-2, by the Jets on Thursday, Jan. 15, and booed inside Grand Casino Arena while dropping a third consecutive game and second in a blowout.

This is the Wild’s longest skid since a five-game funk Oct. 22-30.

Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele had a goal and three assists, but Connor Hellebuyck set the tone by stopping 32 shots, including 10 in a row before his teammates even registered a shot on the Wild’s net.

After the Jets scored three in the first period, the latter two the fastest given up by the Wild on home ice in franchise history, Winnipeg tacked on another three in the second. The Jets went 2 for 4 on the power play, while the Wild blanked on their three opportunities.

Jesper Wallstedt, who was starting consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 7-9 after the rookie goalie was on the hook for the 5-2 loss to New Jersey three nights earlier, had 14 saves before getting replaced by Filip Gustavsson to begin the third period. Gustavsson made eight saves in relief.

The Wild are winless in their past five home games, which is their worst stretch in St. Paul this season.

This loss came on the heels of the team announcing defenseman Jonas Brodin would be sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Zach Bogosian remained out, also because of lower-body injuries, and the Wild had 22-year-old David Spacek make his NHL debut.

How it happened

A rout looked possible early on … but with the Wild trouncing the Jets.

The Wild dominated the puck for most of the first period, getting off those 10 shots before Winnipeg even had one attempt against Wallstedt, but Hellebuyck fended off the pressure superbly.

Not until the Jets went on a 5-on-3 power play did they finally test Wallstedt and after he denied Scheifele with his pad, Gabriel Vilardi nudged the rebound to Jonathan Toews for the put-back at 14:08.

Then in the final minute of the period, Winnipeg capitalized twice in eight seconds: Tanner Pearson had two tries at a rebound and buried the second with 11 seconds left before Josh Morrissey walked into a one-timer off a faceoff with three seconds to go in the first.

Until then, the fastest two goals given up by the Wild at home were when St. Louis scored 10 seconds apart on Dec. 2, 2001.

Turning point

Consecutive penalties by Matt Boldy (a high stick in the offensive zone) and Marcus Foligno (trip) changed the game.

The Wild were in complete control — Winnipeg still didn’t have a shot — but sending the Jets to the offensive zone hurt the Wild, who never recovered.

They did get one goal back, 4:53 into the second on a one-timer from rookie Danila Yurov. But the Jets rolled the Wild after that.

Seconds after another Winnipeg power play expired, Logan Stanley skated in from the blue line and wired the puck by Wallstedt at 9:33 after an unsuccessful clear by the Wild.

Quinn Hughes had a breakaway after picking the puck off Scheifele but didn’t get a shot off and collided with a sliding Hellebuyck. No penalty was assessed on the play, but in the aftermath Nico Sturm was called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

On the ensuing power play, Vilardi tapped in a carom off the end boards at 12:51.

With 2:48 remaining in the second, Scheifele drained a shot from the right faceoff circle.

Marcus Johansson slapped in a behind-the-net pass with 2:44 to go in the third period to avoid the Wild’s first five-goal defeat of the season; this was their fourth four-goal loss.

Key stat

The Wild entered the game the least penalized team in the NHL, so their four penalties were uncharacteristic but also extremely costly.

What it means

This is the most off the Wild have played since the start of the season.

Rarely since then have they gone more than a game without earning a point let alone a three-game blip where they just haven’t clicked. Fatigue explains some of it, but the Wild just haven’t been sharp — on offense and defense — and no matter how high up in the standings they are, those issues will make any team vulnerable.

Up next

The Wild return to the road for three games beginning Saturday, Jan. 17, at Buffalo.